November 21
1800s *1887 - In the American Association, the St. Louis Browns announce a trade that ships Bill Gleason and Curt Welch to the Philadelphia Athletics in exchange for Fred Mann, Chippy McGarr, and Jocko Milligan, plus $3,000. This is the first of a number of trades or sales, mostly to the Brooklyn Grays. *1888 - The Cleveland Spiders is formally admitted to the National League, creating a vacancy in the American Association. Cleveland will replace the Detroit Wolverines. *1889 - The National League issues its reply to the Players League manifesto. Claiming that the League saved baseball in 1876 and that under the reserve rules players' salaries had "more than trebled," the NL denounces the Brotherhood movement as "the efforts of certain overpaid players to again control baseball for their own aggrandizement. . . to its ultimate dishonor and disintegration." *1893 - Ban Johnson is named president, secretary, and treasurer of the recently reorganized Western League. Under Johnson's leadership the WL will prosper. 1900s-1920s *1900: **Given a 10-year contract to control the Baltimore franchise, John McGraw says he intends to be in baseball a long time, and wants to lease grounds in Baltimore where he can stay. He'll be in baseball 32 more years, but not in Baltimore. **National League president Nick Young wishes success to the new American League, but does not consider it a major league. **In New York, national guardsmen are playing an active schedule of indoor baseball at the New York Armory. The games between regiments teams are widely covered in the press. *1911 - After a sixth place finish (76 -76), Hal Chase resigns as New York Highlanders manager and is replaced by Harry Wolverton. Chase will remain a player until he is traded during the 1913 season. *1928 - The St. Louis Cardinals sign Billy Southworth as their new manager, replacing Bill McKechnie who goes down to Triple-A Rochester. 1930s *1933 - Philadelphia Phillies right fielder Chuck Klein, who won the National League Triple Crown after hit .368 with 28 home runs and 120 RBI, is sold to the Cubs for $125,000 and veterans Mark Koenig and Harvey Hendrick, and rookie Ted Kleinhans. Hendrick will play one year with the Phillies, while Koenig and Hendrick quickly go to the Reds. Klein, who also led the NL in hits (223), doubles (44), extra bases (79), total bases (365), slugging (.602), on-base % (.368) and OPS (1.025), and finished second in runs (102) and fourth in steals (15), is the only player in major league history to be traded after a Triple Crown season. Klein will have two-plus seasons at Wrigley Field before returning to Philadelphia in 1936. *1934: **The Yankees purchase Joe DiMaggio from San Francisco of the Pacific Coast League. The son of Italian immigrants will be one of three DiMaggio brothers to play in the major leagues. Dom and Vince were the others. **In a pitchers transaction, the St. Louis Cardinals send 16-game winner Tex Carleton to the Chicago Cubs for Bud Tinning and Dick Ward, and cash consideration. Carleton will win 11 in Chicago while Tinning and Ward will help little. 1940s-1950s *1949 - Bill Veeck sells the Cleveland Indians for $2.2 million to a local syndicate headed by Ellis Ryan. Hank Greenberg will be general manager. *1952 - Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher Joe Black, who posted a 15-4 record with 85 strikeouts and a 2.15 ERA, is voted National League Rookie of the Year receiving 19 of 24 first place votes. Hoyt Wilhelm, Dick Groat and Eddie Mathews also garner first place votes. *1955 - In an obvious power struggle for control, the principal founding father of Little League, Carl Stotz, sues the organization for breach of contract. The suit will be settled out of court. *1956 - Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher Don Newcombe becomes both the National League MVP and the first-ever Cy Young Award winner. *1959 - In the first inter-league trade, the Chicago Cubs send 1B Jim Marshall and P Dave Hillman to the Boston Red Sox for 1B Dick Gernert. 1960s *1960 - Bob Scheffing signs to manage the Detroit Tigers after the job is turned down by Casey Stengel. *1962 - The Pittsburgh Pirates trades 1B Dick Stuart and P Jack Lamabe to the Boston Red Sox for P Don Schwall and C Jim Pagliaroni. *1967 - Cleveland send 1B Fred Whitfield and P George Culver to Cincinnati for OF Tommy Harper. *1968 - Cincinnati trades SS Leo Cárdenas to the Twins for P Jim Merritt. 1970s *1970 - The Sporting News announces Gold Glove Award selections. Chicago White Sox shortstop Luis Aparicio wins the ninth and final honor of his career, while New York Mets outfielder Tommie Agee becomes the first position player to win it in each league. Aparicio has now won a gold glove in the 50s, 60s, and 70s, while Agee also won the honor with the White Sox during his 1966 Rookie of Year season. *1972 - Boston Red Sox catcher Carlton Fisk is the first-ever unanimous choice for American League Rookie of the Year. Fisk hit 22 home runs and led the AL East Division with a .293 batting average. Pitcher Jon Matlack of the New York Mets is named the National League Rookie of the Year. *1973 - Pete Rose wins the National League MVP Award in a controversial vote, edging out Willie Stargell. Rose led NL with 230 hits and won his third batting crown with a .338 mark. Stargell led the league with 44 home runs, 119 runs batted in, and a .646 slugging percentage while batting .299. *1977 - Baltimore Orioles first baseman Eddie Murray is named American League Rookie of the Year. Murray garners 12 1/2 points to beat out runner-up Mitchell Page of the Oakland Athletics, who polled nine 1/2 votes. *1978 - Bob Horner of the Braves edges Ozzie Smith of San Diego to win the National League Rookie of the Year Award. Horner batted .266 with 23 home runs in just 323 at bats. 1980s *1980 - Despite having led the Yankees to 103 wins last season, manager Dick Howser resigns and is replaced by Gene Michael. *1983: **New York Mets outfielder Darryl Strawberry breaks the Los Angeles Dodgers’ four-year stronghold on the National League Rookie of the Year Award when he becomes the first non-Dodger to win the honor since 1978. Rick Sutcliffe, Steve Howe, Fernando Valenzuela and Steve Sax had been the previous winners. **The Seattle Mariners trade reliever Bill Caudill and a player to be named later (minor leaguer Darrel Akerfelds) to the Oakland Athletics for catcher Bob Kearney and starter Dave Beard. *1989 - Kevin Mitchell of the Giants, who led the major leagues with 47 home runs and 125 RBI, is named National League Most Valuable Player. 1990s *1990 - Free agent signings: Mike Boddicker (P) with the Kansas City Royals, Danny Jackson (P) with the Chicago Cubs, and Tom Browning (P), re-signed by the Cincinnati Reds. *1991 - Atlanta Braves third baseman Terry Pendleton, who hit .319 with 22 home runs and 86 RBI, wins the National League MVP Award. Pendleton surprisingly out-distances runner-up Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Barry Bonds (.292, 25, 116). *1993 - The Giants sign free agent P Mark Portugal to a three-year contract. *1995 - The Marlins sign free agent OF Devon White to a three-year contract worth $9.9 million. *1997 - The Royals acquire 1B Jeff Conine from the Marlins in exchange for P Blaine Mull. 2000s *2000: **Citing statistics to a U.S. Senate panel, commissioner Bud Selig states it is time for 'sweeping changes' in the game's economic make-up raising the possibility of a work stoppage after the current contract expires October 31, 2001. **The New York Yankees sign free agent catcher Joe Oliver to a contract. *2002: **In an effort to appeal more to women and families, Major League Baseball will provide sponsorship support along with giving the softball players a presence at big league events. MLB announce a partnership with five-year-old Women's Pro Softball League recently renamed National Pro Fastpitch. **In the earliest scheduled season opener in major league history, the Oakland Athletics and Seattle Mariners will start the season in Tokyo, Japan, on March 25, 2003. The two-game series will feature recent American League Rookies of the Year Kazuhiro Sasaki (2000) and Ichiro Suzuki (2001). **The Montréal Expos may play approximately twenty-five percent of their home games in (22 of 81) in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Away 'home games' are not unprecedented as the Brooklyn Dodgers played seven games in Newark, N.J. in 1956 and 1957, and the Chicago White Sox, filling a void when the Braves left, played nine games in Milwaukee in 1968 and another 11 the following season. *2005 - Catcher Kenji Johjima and the Seattle Mariners agreed to a $16.5 million, three-year contract. Johjima, who was both a seven-time All-Star and Gold Glove winner for the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks, became a free agent after hitting .309 with 24 home runs and 57 RBI during a season cut short by two injuries. He is projected to become the first Japanese player to catch full-time in the major leagues. Infielder Len Sakata, a Japanese-American born in Honolulu, served as third-string catcher for the 1983 World Champion Baltimore Orioles. Births *1851 - Bobby Mathews, pitcher (d. 1898) *1854 - Charlie Bennett, catcher (d. 1927) *1905 - Freddie Lindstrom, Hall of Fame infielder (d. 1981) *1908 - Paul Richards, player and manager (d. 1986) *1920 - Stan Musial, Hall of Fame infielder/outfielder *1924 - Warren Hacker, pitcher (d. 2002) *1935 - Dick Bertell, pitcher (d. 1999) *1940 - Tommy McCraw, infielder *1952 - Bill Almon, infielder *1959 - Scott Terry, pitcher *1960 - Mark Eichhorn, pitcher *1962 - Dick Schofield, infielder *1969 - Ken Griffey, Sr., All-Star outfielder *1973 - Todd Erdos, pitcher *1975 - Brian Meadows. pitcher *1980 - Hank Blalock, All-Star infielder Deaths *1958 - Mel Ott, Hall of Fame outfielder (b. 1909) *1982 - Frank McCormick. All-Star infielder (b. 1911) *1988 - Carl Hubbell, Hall of Fame pitcher (b. 1903)